Spring Break
Hollywood 1939 Revisited
Niketa Reed
Issue date: 9/19/08 Section: Life & Style
Although it etched itself into pop culture, "Gone with the Wind" is not without its flaws. The behind-the-scenes drama about script-writing for this classic is recreated in the comedic stage play "Moonlight and Magnolias," presented by the Northwest Arkansas company TheatreSquared at 8 p.m. today and tomorrow at the Walton Arts Center's Nadine Baum Studios. The final show will be performed at 2 p.m. Sunday.
The production focuses on the frenzied five days that movie mogul David O. Selznick, director Victor Fleming and screenwriter Ben Hecht spent in adapting the Margaret Mitchell novel for filming. What results is a playful spin on the tug-of-war over minute details that carry heavy ramifications and dark social overtones.
"This playwright has a lot to say about movie making and society," said artistic director Robert Ford about Ron Hutchinson, playwright of "Moonlight and Magnolias." "This movie, which has been well- loved over time, has some real problems with the social context. There's underlying racism in the movie. It's not overt, but it's there."
Ford, who said the company likes to start the season with a comedy, admires how Hutchinson is able to combine laughter with other themes to reveal real issues with the film.
"It is not just a farce, it's not just funny," he said. "It's got some real serious overtones, but it never stops being funny. We will never do a comedy that is for comedy's sake only."
Ford has been the artistic director for the theater company since last winter. The company, which assembled five years ago and has been producing professional shows in the last two, was founded by five directors who all hail from the UA drama department. The founding company members include Bob Ford himself, David Pickens, Morgan Hicks, Kassie Misiewicz and "Moonlight" director Amy Herzberg.
"I love finding a comedy that is both truly funny and smart," said Herzberg, who also serves as the head of acting at the UA drama department. "And the subject matter is dear to my heart, the insanity of the artistic process under deadlines and duress."
The production focuses on the frenzied five days that movie mogul David O. Selznick, director Victor Fleming and screenwriter Ben Hecht spent in adapting the Margaret Mitchell novel for filming. What results is a playful spin on the tug-of-war over minute details that carry heavy ramifications and dark social overtones.
"This playwright has a lot to say about movie making and society," said artistic director Robert Ford about Ron Hutchinson, playwright of "Moonlight and Magnolias." "This movie, which has been well- loved over time, has some real problems with the social context. There's underlying racism in the movie. It's not overt, but it's there."
Ford, who said the company likes to start the season with a comedy, admires how Hutchinson is able to combine laughter with other themes to reveal real issues with the film.
"It is not just a farce, it's not just funny," he said. "It's got some real serious overtones, but it never stops being funny. We will never do a comedy that is for comedy's sake only."
Ford has been the artistic director for the theater company since last winter. The company, which assembled five years ago and has been producing professional shows in the last two, was founded by five directors who all hail from the UA drama department. The founding company members include Bob Ford himself, David Pickens, Morgan Hicks, Kassie Misiewicz and "Moonlight" director Amy Herzberg.
"I love finding a comedy that is both truly funny and smart," said Herzberg, who also serves as the head of acting at the UA drama department. "And the subject matter is dear to my heart, the insanity of the artistic process under deadlines and duress."
Be the first to comment on this story